by M. Garnet
My time up here with Coro was not working. The big man was handsome in a rough way. Under different circumstances, I might have taken some interest in him. There were so few times when I was alone with a big male that I could count them on one hand and even name the males.
I excused myself and let the wind help me find my exit. I stood for a moment watching the little seeds and a few larger ones roll across the ground. I heard the mewl of some animal and looked over to where the wind was pushing everything.
In the distance, I could see another cave entrance. Nosy took over, as I needed a distraction. I allowed the wind to help me move over stumps and broken limbs and new growth to reach the new entrance.
It too had a broken gate, so I wandered in and down, feeling the downslope full of old dried leaves. The lights were still bright, covered by the floating protective screens. I stayed close to the walls as I followed down the cave.
There were doors that were open to show living quarters that were deserted. The lift and elevator doors were bared or covered, so this area was no longer used.
I walked for what had to be for the rest of the day period. It would soon be dark and dinnertime. My stomach was reminding that I had not finished my lunch. I finally came to some serious damage with walls caved in and I wouldn't be able to go further down in the cave.
I had to go back and out onto a balcony. I climbed over a barricade and passed some No Entry signs. At last, I was out on a clean balcony that still had no lighting and it was obvious that individuals were being kept away from this area.
I stopped and leaned against the metal railing that still felt solid. I was in a place where nosy was happy. I could look down on a lot of different sites and individuals. In my dark place above them, I was like the Assassin on the beams, I could observe without being perceived.
What I was seeing was groups of workers cleaning up a disaster that had happened to this side of the cave. I was near the edge of the large opening to the outside, covered by the unlimited power these people had available. A magnificent protective clear screen covered the opening. Even my father couldn't afford the cost of the power to cover that size of an opening. I smiled at that thought.
Looking at the work being done, I was surprised at something else. There was real care being taken, as the damage and piles of debris were being removed and sorted. It showed that the beings of this world cared about the items and beings who had been involved in this damage needed to be treated with respect.
I stood and watched the process of workers carefully removing rocks and carrying items to sorters who stood at tables under lights with various machines.
Then I noticed a person that no one could miss. From across the flat landing area moved the Heir. He had the usual amount of black-suited guards as he stopped at various sorting tables.
I could not hear his words, but from the reaction of the workers, he must be praising them. He looked at a few items and even handed one to an individual who walked up with a small, carved carton. I thought the box looked like a small funeral coffer.
Quilliam seemed to do a little bow over the box and the guards saluted. I decided the item had to be a piece of a person, found in the debris.
Suddenly a female worker dressed in a different colored coverall than anyone in this area approached. The strange thing was that the guards just stepped back to allow her to slowly approach the Heir.
Actually, the guards formed a circle around them, backs to the Heir and making it difficult for others to see the couple. I wondered if the Heir was aware that a spy could look down at him from the position that I stood at by this railing. Worse still, with the right weapon, his majesty could be in a deadly position.
Suddenly, I felt a pain go through my body and I wasn't sure my legs would hold me up. I saw the female place one of her hands on his chest and there was a soft glow from his strange green eyes.
My body gave out, as I knew this was the female that the Heir desired. She held the heart that she had placed her hand over, on the wide chest of that great male.
I was down on my knees with my hands still above me, hanging onto the railing. I can't live through this. Sobs were ripping through me silently, as I closed my eyes and felt the rough stone chipping into my skin through my soft trousers.
Suddenly there were warm hands on my fingers, pulling them gently from the railing. I felt strong arms pick me up and I was being carried along the balcony. My pain and my tears prevented me from feeling anything as I floated in a haze, being moved along the dark walkway.
My head hurt like razor blades were running between my ears and each breath was only enough air to allow more tears to stream down my face. I had no idea who had me and where I was at and I didn't care. I really just wanted to fade away into the darkness and never come out again.
At last, some whispering words were beginning to reach me.
"Shhh, little Princess. You are the one who showed such bravery and you must show it now. I have called your guide so Marshall Bower will be here soon. Can you stand?"
It penetrated my torment enough to know I was in the arms of the Assassin. I felt him lower my legs, so I choked back the tears and locked my knees to force myself upright. I still had to lean against his tall body, but at least, I was upright on my own feet.
Chapter Thirteen
Standing on the balcony in the arms of the Assassin, through my cloudy eyes, I saw several people approaching with bright lights in their hands.
The tall dark shadow holding me had one more whispered instruction. "Remember what might be reported back to your father and pick up strength from that."
He stepped away from me, saying to me the one thing that penetrated the hurt inside. His words allowed me to stand alone as Marshall Bower hurried over to me.
"Princess, are you okay. I got word from Master Bogdan that you had a fall. I have brought meds and a healer to help." Bower was next to me with his hands out, running his light over me to see the small cuts and minor blood on my pants.
My mind was beginning to work, as a healer stepped forward and insisted I sit down in a floating chair. A couple of people I couldn't see behind their lights helped get me settled and they began to move me away from the damaged area.
I heard the healer speak. "I'm giving you something for the pain and to relax you. My readers show a lot of high adrenaline and heart strain."
It took me a second to realize that he was going to knock me out, but before I could refuse I felt the soft skin spray injection on my neck.
I started to let my guide know that I didn't want anything, but I only got a couple of words out and then sank back in the chair. I felt them changing the chair to let me lie down and then I was asleep.
* * * *
In a drugged sleep I felt myself being taken to an elevator. I heard Marshall Bower giving orders as if he were the Commander himself. He was ordering black dressed guards to get out of the way, for individuals to open doors, for others to move furniture, and to take the Princess to her bedroom.
I heard Bower fuss to see that the attendants and healer got me settled in my bed. I knew that Set was standing up on my bed beside me, trying to do a lot of things and just getting in the way of everyone.
Finally, Bower ordered everyone out except one female healer and Set, to redress me into sleeping clothes. With the chaos finally gone from around me, I actually helped to change clothes. I'm not sure I was much help, as I moved slowly from the drugs.
The healer took advantage of the quiet and ran a scanner again.
"I am pleased to let you know Princess that the damage is minor, except for your excited emotions caused by uncontrolled endorphins. I would suggest you seek help with a mental healer. We have some excellent individuals who have extensive training and have helped beings as high as your status. I will leave recommended names along with some meds to help you relax."
After putting some items on a table that Set moved around, the healer left.
"Set, ask Marshall Bower to
step in here please."
Set brought me a bed jacket and extra pillows so I could be raised up to face the male as he came in with a bow.
"Marshall, I want to apologize for whatever problems I might have caused with my ending up lost in my travels up top. I got into a different cave entrance. The one I used took me down. Eventually, it led to the damaged area and I wasn't careful."
Bower nodded. "You are lucky the Assassin found you and called me. I wish you would allow me to guide you through our city. I have been told there is nowhere that is forbidden to you."
"Marshall Bower, I am ashamed. I was imprisoned under the thumb of my father all my life. I couldn't walk down a hall or go to a bathhouse without guards, not one but always many. I came here thinking I would find some freedom. I keep slipping away without thinking. I must warn you that I fear that I will repeat this sad turn."
I waited to see what kind of reaction would come from this dedicated young male.
"Princess, I will do my best to give you freedom and I will do my best to protect you. It is all I can do." He bowed and left.
For me, I had to sleep off the med the healer had sprayed into my body and ignore the new ones. I also knew I wasn't going to go and share my problems with a being who thought they could help me by listening to me talk about my problems. So I intended to ignore the names left by the healer.
I stayed in bed until the med wore off. At last, I went to my cushions in front of the open wall that looked at the ocean. There were no storms, yet there were always big waves and movements that eased my body.
Set brought me hot chocolate and small sandwiches of cheese. I was grateful that she had refrained from bringing meat for a while. My digestion was not willing to settle down.
I looked up the ceremonies that were planned for my marriage. I almost gagged on a sandwich as I saw all the activities I was expected to participate in and wear a different outfit for each event. There was also a calendar that popped up that detailed times and places where I was to attend practices in order to be ready for each affair.
I was not going to survive this wedding ceremony. I needed to find a way to eliminate most of these silly shows to impress others. I needed to have a meeting with the one person who was in charge of all the functions for this great cavern city.
"Set, call my guide. I need to have a meeting with Advisor Dee Con DeArmond."
I found it strange that I could meet with the ruler of this world almost immediately within my request. To meet with the Commander of the entire world took only took a call. But to meet with the Advisor meant that a time and place had to be set up to establish day times in advance. I wondered, who really ran this world?
I spent the day periods in my suite, studying about my new home. I found that many natural born individuals of this planet could handle the Threads without any damage to them. Almost all others across the universe had to take steps to prevent touching the Threads with their bare flesh.
Usually, the Threads were shipped out in casings that protected both the Threads and anyone handling the power sources. No one could say who had first discovered and started using the Threads for power and heat on this planet. But then no one could say who had first discovered and started using fire on my father's home planet, or anywhere.
Surviving intelligence either found heat and power or they didn't survive. There were worlds that were old from the beginning of the start of counting that had life, but never developed intelligence.
I thought about this difficult world that created so many problems for those that struggled to endure on its surface. Even with the free unlimited power, life was difficult on a storm planet. It took strong-willed beings to build cities and take their children to the stars.
On top of the Threads, every thousand Federated years, this planet produced a pair of twins that became an intellectual force so far beyond any of the rest of the individuals in the universe that no one understood them.
From my viewpoint, it looked like the planet produced the twins in order to protect itself and its people. Could a planet be alive also and control its future and find ways to protect itself and its people?
At last, Marshall Bower came to the door of my suite to escort me to my meeting with the Advisor. As with my meeting with the Queen, we went down several floors to a wide floor with only military personnel. I had my additional escort group and everyone moved from out of our way. I followed Bower to an inside office with a wide door open.
Even though Bower and my escort left me at this door, the inside office was full of individuals. Many of them were dressed in different styles of military uniforms.
A young female stepped forward and bowed. "Just this way, Princess."
I followed her through the noisy conversations and into a second smaller office with only about four or five people who seemed to be working with floating screen and earpieces and silent speakers.
The female smiled and indicated for me to go to a third office. Here was the calm that I expected. Here was the male I knew was the Advisor.
Chapter Fourteen
The Advisor was all that any child would expect to find in someone kind and old and helpful. That was his appearance with his head full of gray hair and a beard to match. The wrinkles were around his eyes and mouth like those made from smiling all his life.
I could not guess his age, Federated time he could be sixty or eighty or two hundred. It was his eyes that said he had been around a long time and seen too much.
"Come, let's sit by the window." His voice was warm but worn. I looked around to find his office was smaller than the Queen's, but like the Queen's it had a nice seating arrangement in front of a viewing area overlooking the sea.
I followed him as he went over to find a seat on the long curved couch. I sat at the other end, not to be far from him, but to allow me to face him.
The young female entered and sat a tray down on the low table in front of us. She uncovered several plates full of small sandwiches and fruit and a couple of cups full of something hot. She nodded at both of us and I heard the door close after the female left.
"Thank you for meeting with me, Sir. I'm sorry I don't exactly know what to call you. I am unsure about your title."
I saw his soft grandfatherly smile as he spoke. "My sweet child, just call me Dee. That is what everyone close to me calls me. I want you to become close. Now have some of this great hot tea and tell me how I can be of service."
"Sir, ah, Dee. I understand you are close to the royal family."
I looked at him hopefully. I almost spit out the strange bitter drink but forced myself to swallow and then sat the cup down to pick up a round piece of fruit.
He leaned forward and took some time fixing our drinks. "The tea is better with honey and milk. We import some milk, but did you know our farmers milk some of the sea mammals?"
He handed me my drink again. I couldn't be rude, so I took it and took a small sip. Okay, that was much better.
I looked at him with questions, but he began to talk in a soft voice that sounded smooth but old.
"I raised the twins. They were the best boys. Oh, they drove everyone insane. There was nowhere that they couldn't hide or find. They loved topside and lived to ride through the biggest storms that drove even the wild cats into hiding. Best of all was their ability to learn. Oh, not this unusual ability that has come on them now. Just minds like black holes that absorb anything any tutor threw at them."
I watched as his eyes went out to the deep blue ocean. I had no intention of interrupting him, I just hoped he would continue and he did as if the memories were too good to speak about.
"They would take the breath away from watchers as they dived from the top of this mountain down into the ocean. There are ferocious animals in the depths of these seas, but nothing could touch those two male children.
They were inseparable, sleeping together, eating off each other’s plates, playing jokes on healers as the same child would go back in for the same examination. The
y would harm nothing and it seemed nothing could hurt them.
Then they began to reach maturity and became a threat to the universe at large. Although I objected, they had their own minds and Leant took his science and went far in it. He used wealth to build a beautiful large research development and brought some good minds from afar.
The greedy ones encouraged this thinking. It kept him separated from Bleak. Bleak went into the service, serving the Federated Military. The Federated Military was an honest attempt to help uncommitted governments, but was often overpowered by large groups."
I watched him reach for some food, disappointed that he was stopping in his discourse.
"I am sorry. You asked for this meeting, so let's start with the easy part. What can I do to help our Princess?" I saw that warm smile among those wrinkles, as he stirred his tea.
I decided to be blunt. I held up a small com unit I had brought with me and let the calendar of wedding events float in the air. "How do we eliminate most of this?"
Now I was surprised. I got a really deep laugh from this elderly man who had been so prevalent in the development of this present city and world.
"So, you want me to change a schedule that thousands of individuals from across the universe are making arrangements to travel here to attend?"
I now looked out at the ocean. I tried to find some words that made sense. Where was the brain that my father gave me when I looked at this fine old male?
"I'm sorry I have bothered you about something that must seem so trivial to you. I know you are an advisor to the Queen and the Heir. How are they going to handle appearances at all of these functions?" I had thrown out all the political training I had learned at my father's smelly feet. I was now pleading.
I leaned toward the Advisor as he spoke. "My child, no one has taken the time to educate you how to use your royal position. You don't attend all of the functions. Find out which ones the Queen is attending and plan to make a short appearance at those. For the others, make a pleasant tape telling how grateful you are that everyone has shown up to help you celebrate your ceremony and have it played right after the Queen's announcement is played."
